Tag - peppers

It has been a nutty past couple of weeks. I went back East for 10 days and travelled around four different states seeing friends and family. It was great to see everyone, but also quite exhausting. As soon as I got back to California, I went to Dreamforce. It’s a Salesforce conference in San Francisco that completely takes over the city. It’s a four day whirlwind of intensive training sessions, inspiring keynote speakers, Salesforce cheerleading, and concerts.

Needless to say, there hasn’t been much time for cooking. The next few posts are recipes I made before all of that running around. Looking through the pictures makes me want to eat this food all over again. When I made this recipe I was really craving tacos and this really hit the spot. I can’t believe how fantastic these came out. Jason said it’s one of the best tacos he’s ever had and I definitely agree. I also want to make this coconut rice with every meal because it is so flavorful and moist. Thank you Half Baked Harvest for this perfect taco recipe!

3. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the pork all over with salt and pepper. Sear pork on all sides until golden (about 2 minutes per side).

4. Remove the whole pot from the heat and slowly pour in half of the marinade. Place a lid on the pot and place in the preheated oven. Roast the pork for 3-4 hours or until the pork is falling off the bone and shreds easily.

5. Shred the pork and add the remaining marinade to taste (I used about 3/4 of the remaining liquid). Heat on the stove until warm throughout.

6. In a medium size pot, combine the coconut milk and coconut water. Bring to a low boil and then mix in the rice, salt, unsweetened coconut and coconut oil. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible and cook for 10 minutes.

7. Remove rice from heat and let sit, covered, for 20 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

Our Vegas trip last weekend was outrageous. It was a once in a lifetime chance to see such a historic UFC card and even better to have seen it with our friends Deana and Jimmy from NJ. I couldn’t have imagined a more flawless outcome. We went to the Fan Expo, Old Vegas, the Weigh Ins, and of course, the fights. On top of all that, all of the fighters we wanted to win, won!

UFC Fan Expo

The Weigh Ins Crowd

Sitting in front of the FOX Table at the Weigh Ins

Old Vegas

UFC 189 — “It’s Time”

Conor McGregor — Interim Featherweight Champion!

July has been unbelievably busy and exciting so far, which has in turn, limited my cooking time. I missed it a lot so it was nice to get in some kitchen time this weekend.

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a dash of olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet. Brown chicken thighs on both sides then set aside on a plate.

2. In same skillet, sauté the peppers and onions for about six minutes until they’re almost caramelized then add garlic and cook down. Add the chicken back to the skillet with skin side up and heat for about five minutes.

3. Add chicken broth and a cup of water to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes then uncover and cook for another 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced in half.

4. While the chicken is braising, make the polenta. Bring 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of water to a boil then slowly whisk in the corn meal. Bring back to a boil and continue to whisk. Once the meal starts to thicken, add the butter and reduce heat to low. Stir frequently and add a dash more milk if the polenta starts to harden too much. The polenta should take about 15 minutes to become tender. Add parmesan cheese right before serving.

… Also, Jason was craving chili and we needed to use leftover ground beef.

Tuesday night dinner was chicken and beet salad with gorgonzola and walnuts. Pre-cooking the beets on the weekend was such a time saver. It’s not ideal to come home from a long day of work and have to wait on beets cooking in the oven for almost an hour before you can eat dinner. Just had to heat everything up, cook the chicken, and devour.

1. Skin beets, chop off tops and bottoms and wrap in tin foil. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.
2. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, paprika, thyme. Place them in a greased baking dish and cover with tinfoil. Cook for 30 minutes, untouched.
3. Place mixed greens in a bowl and top with chicken, quartered beets, cheese, onions, and walnuts.

Wednesday night dinner was chicken fajitas with corn on the cob. I used the pre-chopped veggies from Sunday and cooked them Tuesday night while we were eating our salads. Again, great time saver so that when we’re both ravenously hungry when we get home from work dinner isn’t that far away. Just had to heat everything up, cook the corn, and assemble!

1. Combine canola oil, lemon juice, salt, oregano, cumin, chili powder, paprika, pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Place cut chicken in a resealable bag and pour in marinade. Let sit overnight.
2. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap each corn on the cob in tin foil, with a dash of olive oil inside. Place on a cooking sheet and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Place can of beans in a saucepan and heat with sliced garlic and spices. Add a dash of hot sauce for more heat if desired.
4. Heat a large skillet with 1 Tablespoon of oil, on medium high heat, cook peppers and onions until they begin to soften. Sprinkle cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and continue heating until slightly charred and cooked through.

5. Heat oil in another skillet and cook chicken until done, should only be approximately 5-6 minutes.

5. Place corn tortillas on the cooking sheet with the corn on the cob. Heat for a couple minutes on each side. Plate with the fajitas with peppers, beans, chicken, and top with sour cream and hot sauce!

This recipe was Jason’s meaty chili from dinner last weekend. He absolutely loved it and my favorite part of it was how easy it was to make. I used vegetables and beef we got at the weekly farmers market in Jack London Square in Oakland. That market is on the smaller side, but they had all the fresh produce we needed and the ground beef came from Casa Rosa Farms.

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About Allison

Allison

I’m Allison. I like taking pictures, cooking, and baking. My husband, Jason, and I moved to California from the NY/NJ area in August of 2014. We’re starting a new life out here and so far it’s been an revitalizing experience! You can read more about why this page is called "Stills and Spills” in the first entry. Enjoy!